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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: dip · bowl · cue · bat · lie · mine · chair · wake

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cue — a signal
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. chair — a leader
  12. wake — a trail
  13. cue — for pool
  14. bat — the animal
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cue — a hint
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. dip — to dunk

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com